A Woman Loves
by Moon Faery
Summary: Serena takes her duties as Sailor Moon seriously, for once. Darien figures it out, and there's a cliff hanger. There's a sequel to this on my site, if you like it. (HINT HINT)


A Woman Loves  
By Moon Faery  
crystalmilleniu@bolt.com  
Rated pg13  
website: http://www.faerysgarden.asiansquare.com  
First Season Romance-Action  
  
Well, here's a little short one I thought up. I'm not sure who   
owns the song, but Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon. Email is a   
good thing! I did a sequel, but it's at my website. ^_~ It's NOT going up on ff.net, so go read it!  
  
******  
  
A woman loves beyond her questions  
And dreams beyond her doubts  
  
******  
  
Serena awoke in a cold sweat. Her baby blue eyes were dialated   
as she opened herself to the immense feeling of danger. Not the NegaVerse,   
it didn't have the same flavor. In fact, it felt like Raye, but not Raye.   
It was... Fire.  
  
Serena didn't even hesitate, or ask questions. She reacted without   
thought. Someone was in danger, and it didn't matter that it wasn't her job to   
fight THIS particular evil. She had to help, no matter what it cost her.  
  
"MOON PRISM POWER!" she shouted at the top of her lungs,   
not caring that she might awaken her family. After the usual light show, Sailor   
Moon hopped out her bedroom window, following the silent cries in her ears.   
She knew, without knowing, that if she didn't help she'd be hearing those sounds   
of pain and hopelessness for the rest of her life. But it wasn't fear of haunting   
that moved her to the abandonded and burning apartment building. It was Love.   
She loved life, all of it. And nothing was going to cut a life short if she   
could help it. Nothing.  
  
******  
  
Her heart will lead and she will follow  
Even when there's no way out  
  
******  
  
Sailor Moon arrived at the flaming building as the poilice pulled up. A   
homeless woman was being restrained as she tried to enter the house again. Sailor   
Moon landed on the sidewalk and listened to the woman's wails.  
  
"Ma'am," the lady officer soothed. "You can't go back in there. I'm-"  
  
"My baby!" the woman screamed, strugling against the police woman's hold.   
"She's still in there! APRIL!"  
  
"Momma!" came the frightened cry from within the building.  
  
"Please... just let me..." the woman sobbed, hiding her winter chapped face   
in her hands.  
  
"Ma'am. We're goning to save her. Just-"  
  
Sailor Moon knew what she had to do. But first...  
  
"Excuse me," she cut in politely. "Who all's left in the building?"  
  
The cop looked at her with cold eyes. She took in the sight of a young girl in a   
short, sailor-like skirt without understanding what it meant. "Young lady, you shouldn't   
be out here. C-"  
  
"How many?!" Sailor Moon demanded of the woman. The screams inside were   
getting more desperate.  
  
"Just my daughter, April," the woman cried. "Please, save her. Please..."   
  
Sailor Moon nodded and ran off, police officers calling after her. One almost   
tackled her, but she shrugged him off. The man fell to the ground.  
  
"Miss! Don't! It's a suicide mission! Miss..." His voice faded out as she took   
one last bound and landed on a crumpling fifth story balcony, where the screams for   
help were coming from.  
  
"Momma? Momma?! Where are you? MOMMA?!" came the terrified cries from   
Sailor Moon's right.  
  
"April?" she called, trying to see through the smoke and flames. They clogged the   
air, making it almost impossible to see, or breathe. The flames roared around her, casting an  
erie glow on the walls. "I'm here to save you! Where are you?"  
  
"I- I don't know! Hurry... I'm scared..." the voice died off into a small whimpering.  
  
"It's all right, honey. "I'll save you," Sailor Moon soothed, not sure how she was   
going to get to the little girl, only that she was willing to die trying. The ends of her hair   
sizzled as she walked through an arch of flames, choking on the thick black smoke.   
"April! Where are you?"  
  
A thin coughing sound came from Sailor Moon's right. She followed the noise   
and came across a small bundle of singed rags. Ragged brown hair covered a small, scared   
face. April was passed out from the smoke. Quickly, Sailor Moon picked the little girl up and   
turned to face the way she had come.   
  
Solid flames blocked the exit, and the balcony.  
  
******  
  
Her eyes refuse to see the danger  
As she walks right through the fire  
  
******  
  
Sailor Moon looked around desperately for an exit, but found none. As she   
finished her survey, she came to an abrupt descision, and ripped the skirt off her fuku.   
Gently wrapping it around the sleeping child, she cursed quietly to herself.  
  
"Damn Sailor fukus. The least they could do is have a longer skirt," she   
grumbled, using her long hair to cover the rest of the little girl. Then, bracing herself,   
she held April closer and dived right through the wall of flames.  
  
The heat scorched her as she ran, eyes closed. Her eyebrows smoldered as   
she pumped her legs as fast as she could. Her flesh screamed in agony as she burned,   
but Sailor Moon kept silent and hunched over the little girl's prone form, determined   
that she'd make it through this safe.  
  
Finally- finally- she felt the chill night air on her skin. More on instinct than   
anything else, she gave a huge leap and landed on the pavement five stories below.   
She laid the child on the ground and moved out of the way of the paramedics.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you!" the homeless woman cried, this time tears of   
joy. "You must be an angel!"  
  
"I'm no such-"  
  
"Ma'am? Sailor Moon?" a doctor asked. "Those burns look bad, let me-"  
  
Sailor Moon backed up, preparing to run. She couldn't let this man see her   
true identity. "No... I'll be all right. Thank-" She hit something. Something hard,   
cloth covered, and smelling of roses. "Tuxedo Mask?" she asked softly, everything   
else forgotten.  
  
"How do you do it?" he asked her, his voice sending tingles down her   
spine. "WHY do you do it?" His gloved hands rested on her bare shoulders, but it   
felt as though he had kissed her. "Why?" the honey smooth, deep voice whispered.  
  
Sailor Moon turned to look at him, and her eyes scared him. They held   
knowledge, hurt and sorrow beyond what any mortal should be forced to bear. But   
hope too. It puzzled and frightened the usually cold and solid man. His eyes caught   
the deep scorch mark on the usually smooth, slender neck. He touched it tenderly   
as a lover would.  
  
Sailor Moon looked into the deep blue eyes, wondering the same question. She   
wasn't in as bad of shape as she could be. Only a bad burn on her neck. It could have been,   
SHOULD have been much worse. So why?  
  
"How could I not?" she answered softly before running off into the night, only a   
slight limp marring the smooth and graceful movement.  
  
******  
  
A man may give himself to passion and desire  
But a woman loves  
  
******  
  
Serena walked slowly down the street, so as to hide her limp. She had twisted her   
ankle last night, and was grounded for the week thanks to her family waking up with her   
gone last night. Luckily, she had been able to pass off the burn on her neck as a curling   
iron thing, and all the others were hidden pretty well. But she had read in the paper that   
the little girl would be fine, thanks to Sailor Moon. And for that, she would go through   
hell a thousand times over, and get grounded for a MONTH.   
  
"Hey, Meatball Head!" came the call behind her. Serena gave an internal sigh.   
  
"Not today," she mutered. "Darien, I'm not in the mood. So please-"  
  
"What happened to your leg?" he asked suddenly, blue eyes flashing. 'If someone's   
beating up on my Meatball Head, I'll... I'll what? She's not MY Meatball head!'  
  
Serena blushed. "I tripped, it's nothing serious..." she trailed off, twisting her   
hair in hopes that he wouldn't notice her burns. No such luck.  
  
"What happened to your neck?" Darien demanded, eyes wide with fear and   
recognition. He recognized that burn. But... Serena? She couldn't be... "Serena?" he   
asked softly.   
  
Serena's hands stilled at his tone. She had heard that voice last night.   
But it couldn't be...  
  
"I burned myself on the curling iron," Serena giggled, fighting down her   
blush. "Clumsy, stupid ol' Serena..."  
  
"Is that so?" he asked, sounding faintly amused, but also worried. Darien   
didn't buy that in the least. "You should be more careful." He caressed the abused   
skin softly, sending shivers down Serena's spine.  
  
Serena nodded mutely, gaze locked on the endless blue pools he had the   
nerve to demene by calling his eyes. Darien gripped her hand, breaking the spell.  
  
"Serena..."  
  
"Darien... I gotta go!" She pulled away, and ran down the sidewalk.  
  
"Wait! Serena..." Serena paused and looked back at the handsome man   
calling her. "Why?" Darien asked.  
  
Serena's blood ran cold, and she gave the only answer she could. "How could   
I not?" Darien stared after her fleeting figure as she raced away, a name on his lips.  
  
"Serena..."  
  
******  
  
A woman loves...  
  
****** 


End file.
